It's All Talk

Justin Hibbard '92, B.A. Communication

Justin Hibbard has "one of the funnest jobs of anyone I know." He may be right. Consider the pluses: He owns his own company. His "commute" consists of walking to his kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee, and crossing the living room to his in-house studio. He learns about new places, industries, people, and things everyday— "an ongoing education that makes every day fresh and inspiring." Even better for this avid traveler, he can work remotely and has done so from such far-flung places as Myanmar, Alaska, and the Peruvian Amazon, to name only a few. It's easy to see why he loves the flexibility and creativity of his work.

As the owner and primary signature voice for Los Angeles-based JustTheVoice Productions, Inc., Justin voices everything from TV and news promos to corporate marketing videos and live event "voice of God" announcing. He also does on-hold messaging known as interactive voice response, or IVR, in English, French, or Spanish. When needed, he collaborates with a select roster of fellow voice artists.

Since founding his company in 2008, Justin has voiced hundreds of projects. One of his most challenging was a 60-page, long-form medical narration that required eight hours in the studio narrating extremely complex medical terms. "Try saying ‘Aphthous stomatitis' hundreds of times!" he grins. "Not easy, I assure you." Other projects can be fun and quirky, like the time he voiced an animated pineapple for a Dole commercial. He also is a caring global citizen who is especially proud of his part in a collaborative effort with other voice artists that promoted hunger awareness in the Horn of Africa. "It was done pro bono and truly from the heart," he says humbly.

Georgia-born and Kansas-raised, Justin originally considered three career paths: airplane pilot, architect, or broadcast journalist. Having developed "a functional fear of heights"—although he flies all the time—and "not being adept at drawing"—although he appreciates great architecture—Justin opted for the latter.

At Trinity, which he chose for the warm weather, academic reputation, and vibrant San Antonio culture, Justin focused intently on the field. He credits his faculty mentors, the late professor Robert Blanchard and professor William Christ, for helping him become deeply involved at KRTU, where he started as a classical DJ on Saturday mornings and a jazz DJ by night. He later served as the station's news director and anchored KRTU Newsline and KTVC Newswatch. He honed his skills with internships at CBS and ABC affiliates in Kansas City and perfected his French with a semester abroad in Toulon, France. In addition to the "solid education and mentoring" he received, Justin values the independence he gained at Trinity and the social skills that enhanced his "ability to establish lifelong friendships that endure to this day."

After graduation Justin landed broadcast positions with NBC and CBS affiliates in Abilene, Texas, and Joplin, Mo., respectively. It was a CBS news director who told him if he ever decided to leave the TV news business, he should seriously consider pursuing voice-over. "I always held that card in my back pocket as a back-up profession," he says.

Seeking a "more global approach" to his career, Justin consulted Professor Christ and, upon his advice, earned an MBA from the Thunderbird Graduate School of Global Management in Arizona, which included studies at the school's Geneva campus. Following three years in real estate finance and approaching age 30 and a "very early mid-life crisis," Justin realized he was not pursuing his true creative passion. Some serious soul searching led him to "make the leap and see if the net would catch me." He moved to Los Angeles in January 2000 where the path to JustTheVoice began.

Today, with his work providing an outlet for his creativity and his adventurous spirit being nourished by frequent travel—"the more exotic the better"—Justin spends as much time as possible with his beloved Boston terrier, Dudley, and his many friends enjoying the almost endless recreational possibilities California offers. He also volunteers for the American Cancer Society and chaired the Relay for Life in Palm Springs a few years ago.

Gregarious and entertaining, Justin loves collaborating with fellow alumni, and promises "if you're looking for a youthful, professional voice artist to represent your company's branding or your latest audiovisual project, please hit me up."

You can contact Justin at justin@justinhibbard.com.